After a rain ground conditions and pinpointing

[detectin4fun]

A recent morning hunt of mine after a night time rain had produced coins that I was able to pinpoint accurately and pop from the ground. That hunt was a confidence builder for certain. Hunting today after a time of no rain the ground is dry and the pinpointing is not hitting so well. My question is it easier for you to detect a target and pinpoint when the soil is wet or damp? I was thinking maybe the conductivity was such making detecting a target easier and pinpointing more accurate. was it my imagination? The other possibility is less encouraging that hunt was a fluke on the locating and popping of coins. I may try a test garden bury some coins check them dry then dampen the soil, then recheck for a difference in locating.

 

[Elton]

Sometimes newly buried coins can not be detected at all...

 

[doc holiday]

I've always found damp or wet ground the best for hunting.

 

[Goldstrike]

After rain, signals seem stronger and maybe it's my imagination but detection capabilities on metal detector's go a little bit deeper. Past posts from detectorists's seem to be in agreement on this subject!

 

[detectin4fun]

Thanks for the responses, I was confused about what was different and where my new "skill" had vanished too. Thinking a lot of different possibilities, detector settings, my lucky shirt was in the laundry etc. then the ground conditions came to mind. Thought no couldn't been the damp ground that made a difference, then maybe. Your responses are a game plan changer. When it rains now the detector will go for a walk. Now I need to figure out how to improve dry ground performance.

 

[Dancer]

Some other problems come up with dry ground. Say your hunting a park, and you need to keep your holes neat. Might look like a good job, until the mower comes and blows the sod right out of the hole. It being so dry it wouldn't tramp down. So we got to be careful. Surface coins not so much. I do agree that after a rain my machines seem a lot sharper, maybe a little deeper, it seems.

 

[Mega]

Detectors will usually always give better signal response when the ground is slightly moist ie after its rained especially with a VLF machine,a Pulse machine does not seem to suffer the same problems in dry ground condition although of course you will then have problems digging the target out through the concrete ground conditions.

One of the biggest problems i find is when a field has just been ploughed and rolled it tends to trap air in the soil for a few days,we usually call it 'fluffy soil' and alot of VLF machine dont like that soil conditions either,it normal only take a few days after the ploughing and a bit of rain to settle the ground back down again.

 

[Dancer]

Detectors will usually always give better signal response when the ground is slightly moist ie after its rained especially with a VLF machine,a Pulse machine does not seem to suffer the same problems in dry ground condition although of course you will then have problems digging the target out through the concrete ground conditions.

One of the biggest problems i find is when a field has just been ploughed and rolled it tends to trap air in the soil for a few days,we usually call it 'fluffy soil' and alot of VLF machine dont like that soil conditions either,it normal only take a few days after the ploughing and a bit of rain to settle the ground back down again.

Mega, you know I always have that fluffy condition with fresh bark mulch. Didn't realize the affect. Makes sense now.